TULANE LAW — In life, immigration attorney Valerie Zukin fought for the most vulnerable, transforming detained immigrants’ access to representation in northern and central California. Through her indefatigable determination and grit, she convened and inspired other lawyers and established the infrastructure that today provides thousands of detainees with access to counsel in the region. Zukin, died of breast cancer in 2021 at the age of 41 – but despite her short life, she made a lasting impact, friends said. Zukin’s work literally changed the lives of thousands of immigrants, who are not guaranteed an attorney in removal proceedings and where they can face severe consequences. For her persistent and dedicated advocacy for this vulnerable population, her Tulane Law Class of 2007 established a fund in her honor last fall, in hopes of continuing her work of training future lawyers, appropriately, through the law school’s legal clinics. Since October 2022, the class has raised nearly $40,000 in gifts and pledges in support of this new fund.